43,000 punished in China over telecom, internet fraud

China resolved 77,000 cases related to telecom and Internet fraud from January to September this year and punished 43,000 people.

The number of suspects punished was 2.3 times more than the same period last year, the Ministry of Public Security said at a conference here.

Police closed 6,900 boiler rooms and confiscated ill- gotten gains valued at 2.34 billion yuan (about $347 million), it said.

The arrest of suspects also prevented people from being swindled out of 4.75 billion yuan, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Deputy public security minister Li Wei said the ministry will continue to improve its current campaign, with a particular focus on helping victims recover their money.